Sharing the Secret
by Sth10
Summary: When Chickie discovers some shocking news just after her application to Metro, she turns to the one friend she can trust to help her. Two-parter, early Season 3.
1. Chapter 1

**PART ONE**

Up until the moment John Cooper received a phone call from a panicked Chickie Brown, it had been a pretty good day.

He'd ragged Ben Sherman mercilessly about his new interest in badge bunnies, bust open a gangbanger's nose, had lunch at an awesome Armenian joint. Ended watch on time and got in an excellent final dig at Sherman's nocturnal activities that had made the rookie spit out a mouthful of soda trying not to laugh. Escaped the day mostly without pain and without the need for pills.

When the call came, he was quietly sipping a well-deserved beer at his favourite bar and debating whether he wanted nachos.

"'Sup, Chick?" He flipped the phone open with one hand, the other occupied with his beer.

"Are you home?" Chickie sounded like she had a cold.

"No, I'm still downtown. Just havin' a quick beer. Where you at?"

"My place."

"Everything okay?"

"Not really." Chickie's voice dropped to a whisper. "You got plans for tonight?"

"Hot date with my couch and the Lakers game. What's goin' on, Chick?"

"Think you can come over?"

"Do I need to have my gun ready?"

"It's nothing dangerous, Coop, jeez. I just need to talk."

Cooper frowned, took another pull on his beer. He had known Chickie Brown a long time and he was aware something was very wrong in her world at this moment but he was damned if he could tell what.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," he told her. "Put some beers in the fridge."

"Thanks, Coop."

"I didn't do anythin' yet, darlin'." He snapped the phone shut and drained the remainder of his beer.

It was a quiet drive out to Toluca Lake at that time of night and Cooper could open up the Challenger on the empty roads, enjoying the assured roar of the powerful engine. Laurie had thought he was crazy to buy the muscle car but Cooper had never regretted it for a moment; the Challenger was part of him and he never felt better than when he was behind the wheel.

He let himself into Chickie's house. Found her in the kitchen, slugging coffee like it was vodka. Her eyes met his and he saw the redness from recently-shed tears.

"You okay?" he asked softly, leaning in the doorway.

She didn't speak, just held out a small white object that appeared to be a digital thermometer. Confused, Cooper took it. And realised what it was at the same moment he registered two blue lines on the display.

For a moment, he just stared at it as if it would change if he looked for long enough. "You're pregnant?" He eventually looked up in disbelief.

"That's what the tests said. All four of 'em." Chickie's eyes were still wide with shock, all colour drained from her face. Her hands were shaking as she took back the pregnancy test.

"How long have you known?"

"Coupla hours. Soon as I could stop crying, I called you." Tears welled again but she swiped them away. "I've been putting off doing the test all week, but I knew…I fuckin' knew, Coop…"

Cooper could think of nothing else to do but step close and pull her into his arms. She buried her face in the solid slabs of his chest and broke into sobs. Cooper held her tight, resting his chin atop her head, and let her cry. Words were useless at that moment; the only comfort he could offer was his embrace.

Eventually the reassurance of his hard arms around her seemed to calm Chickie and she stepped back, wincing as she saw the tear marks she had left on his grey t-shirt.

"I owe you a new shirt," she said unsteadily.

"I'll add it to the list of things you owe me." He gave a smile that she tried to return. Crossed to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Coors. "Where's Tristan?"

"Sleeping over at his friend's house."

"So at least we got time to talk." Cooper wrapped his arm around her shoulders, guided her to the living room. Sat her down on the couch and settled beside her.

"Who's the father?" he asked, deciding the time for tiptoeing around the issue was over.

Chickie hesitated only a second. "Detective over at Central."

"You told him?"

"I called him before you arrived." Chickie shook her head, took a gulp of coffee. "He doesn't give a damn."

"Do I know him?"

"You know everyone."

"I can go have a word with him."

"Getting a few punches off you isn't gonna change his mind, Coop. He's married and happy about it. We got drunk and hooked up for one night at that 40th birthday party you refused to go to. I don't expect him to get involved."

"It's still his baby."

"Cooper, back in the day, before you left Laurie, would you have accepted a chick you banged once turning up expecting you to be a father to the kid you accidentally got her pregnant with?" She looked at him. "Actually, scratch that. You probably would have done."

"You'd better not be tryin' to say I got morals."

"Look, this isn't the guy's problem. He wanted a one-night stand because he was too drunk to know any better. I wanted the same. Just because this has happened doesn't change what it was."

"Chickie, the fact there's a baby involved changes everything."

"For me, yes. Not for him."

"Why you protecting him?"

"Because if I was a guy and in the same situation, I'd want nothing to do with it either." Chickie's cup was empty but she continued to raise it to her lips without noticing. "I've raised Tris alone; no paternal input, no alimony, no child support, nothing. I got through it fine. I'll do the same again with this one."

Cooper reached to gently take the cup from her. "You make it sound like it was easy. I remember the hard times, Chick, even if you don't."

"Of course I remember. But it was worth it. I'm not scared to do it again."

Cooper took a long swallow of beer. "You really gonna keep it?"

This time he saw fear glimmering in her eyes when she met his gaze. "I want to," she said quietly.

"You're thirty-five, Chick, it's not gonna be easy this time. Tris is fifteen; he can take care of himself now. It's been a long time since you had to plan your life around a baby."

"I'll deal with it, Coop."

"And what about SWAT?"

Chickie shook her head. "Jesus. After all those fucking push-ups I did for the primary physical, this is what happens. I just finished the damn application form as well. You know how long that thing is?"

"So what you gonna do?"

"I've thought about it. I can change the application to A Platoon; take a desk role until after the birth."

"A Platoon are just administrators."

"I know that. But it means I can still go to Metro and when the time's right, I can try for D Platoon."

Cooper drank some more beer. "You've thought a lot about this."

"I told you, I've known all week in my heart. I just needed to confirm it. I've thought about nothing else."

Cooper nodded and fell silent. Got up and fetched another beer. Drank it slowly as he let the conversation sink in.

"You wanna tell Ben, don't you?" Chickie asked finally.

"You know it never works keeping secrets from your partner. Besides, he can help keep an eye on you out there."

"I don't need babysitting, John."

"Right now, I say what you need, not you," he told her, but there was no harshness in his tone.

"That what you say to Ben as well?" she shot back.

His lips twitched in his infamous half-smile. "He listens more than you do."

Chickie couldn't help but grin. "I don't mind if you tell him, okay? He'll be happy that you let him in on the secret."

Cooper frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"He looks up to you, Coop. He wants to feel that you trust him with the deep stuff."

"He already knows that."

"Does he?"

"Jeez, Chick, we're guys in case you haven't noticed. We don't go into this shit like you do."

Chickie looked away but he didn't miss the amused smile that crossed her face.

"You told Tris yet?"

"Nope. Trying to figure out what to say."

"Want me to tell him?"

Chickie blew out a long breath. "I don't know."

"I'll pick him up from school tomorrow. He might take it better from me."

"You mean you'll have him calmed down before he catches up with me?"

"Somethin' like that."

Chickie thought for another moment, then nodded. "He always listens more to you than me."

Cooper drank the remains of his beer. "You want me to stay tonight?"

"No, it's okay. I need to think about everything a little more before I talk to Tris."

He nodded. "I'll go now if you want to be alone."

Chickie shook her head, curled up against him. He put his arm around her, drew her close.

"Stay awhile first," she whispered.

They sat like for a couple of hours, not often finding the need to speak, each lost in their own thoughts as they pretended to watch TV. Eventually Chickie was falling asleep and Cooper was getting uncomfortable in his slumped position.

He gently disentangled himself from his friend. "Chick, I'm gonna get going. You be alright by yourself?"

"Yeah," she said drowsily. "I'll be okay."

"Call me if you need me."

She walked him to the door, stood watching him as he made for the steps.

"Coop," she called after him. "You're gonna be there for me this time around as well, aren't you?"

"That had better be a rhetorical question." He swung round gave her a hard glare. "Because I'm thinking you should know me well enough to never need to ask that for real."

"It's different this time…"

"Jesus Christ, Chickie, you don't remember what happened that night when you called me up and told me Jake had left you? I got in my car, I drove over to your house and I sat up all night with Tris asleep in my arms, trying to talk you round while you sank enough vodka to knock out a bear." Cooper's eyes bore angrily into hers. "And you think I'm gonna abandon you now?"

In a few long strides he was in front of her, taking hold of both her arms. He saw a flash of fear in her eyes before he pulled her roughly against him and hugged her tight.

"I'll get you through this, Chick," he promised.

X X X

Sherman had sensed something was bothering Cooper even from the beginning of watch. The big man didn't seem to be in pain but he was unusually silent. Sherman knew better than to ask straight out but he figured Cooper would tell him when he was ready to talk about it. It normally didn't take him long.

But more than halfway through the shift, Cooper was still staying quiet. No wisecracks, no ragging, not even any derogatory comments about the good citizens of North Hollywood. Ben was starting to get concerned when Cooper pulled in for a coffee stop, sent Sherman to get the order.

"I got somethin' to tell you," he said as Ben returned to the car, handed over Cooper's cup.

"I figured that hours ago." Ben took a sip of coffee, regarded his partner. "Everything okay?"

"Chickie's knocked up," Cooper announced with his usual bluntness.

Ben felt his jaw dropped. "You serious?"

"She got laid with a detective from Central and boom, she's pregnant. The guy wants nothing to do with it."

"Is she gonna keep it?" Sherman was aware his eyebrows had practically disappeared into his hairline.

"So she says."

"Shit," was the only thing Sherman could think to say.

"Exactly."

"I mean…" Ben shook his head, "…fuck…"

"Yeah, that's usually how it happens."

Normally that would have amused Ben but he was still occupied digesting the news. "Does Tris know?" Having met Chickie's son several times now, he had grown comfortable around the teenager.

Cooper checked his watch. "He will in about an hour."

"We're telling him?" Sherman's jaw dropped even further.

"No, I'm telling him. You're guarding the car and deflecting any radio calls, okay?"

"Okay," Ben echoed, not knowing what else to say. "Is he gonna go crazy?"

"Don't think he'll be too happy."

"Figure you'll be able to talk him round?"

"Honestly, I'm not too sure. I'm not usually telling him he's about to get a new brother or sister and yet again the daddy ain't planning on stickin' around." Cooper shook his head. "Tris thinks the world of Chickie; he ain't gonna like her screwing around with married guys."

"You're gonna tell him that?"

"I'm gonna tell him the damn truth, Ben. It's gotta come out eventually; it's better for the kid that he hears it straight from me."

"Guess so." Ben sipped more coffee. "You think she's doin' the right thing, Coop?"

"It's her decision; I'll stand by her whatever." Cooper looked into his cup. "I'm just worried this will screw up her life and her job."

Ben nodded, thinking back through recent conversations with Chickie. "Metro won't be happy when they find out. I mean, she's still got another coupla months here before the transfer comes through. She'll be showing by then."

He saw Cooper fail to hide a smile. "You an expert on pregnancy, Boot?"

"I know enough about it. My mom felt the need to do a lot of explaining to me when my dad got his new wife pregnant."

"That was nice of her." Cooper showed his legendary sarcasm for the first time all day, so Ben figured he was relieved to have shared the burden.

"I didn't have a fuckin' clue what she was talking about."

"Probably a good thing." Cooper finished the last of his coffee and started the engine. "Let's head for the Valley. I wanna grab Tris when he gets outta school."

"It's not gonna take an hour to drive to San Fernando."

"But it's gonna take me an hour to think of what to say."

Ben couldn't argue with that logic. Nor could he offer any help in the matter. So he just stayed quiet and hoped Cooper was concentrating on the road as much as he was his upcoming revelation.


	2. Chapter 2

**PART 2**

From behind his mirrored shades, Cooper regarded the kids spilling down the high school's front steps. There seemed to millions of them but fortunately there weren't many with Tristan's distinct surfer style and he eventually identified the kid's mop of blond hair in the crowd.

Tristan had clearly spotted the burly uniformed figure first and he made a beeline for Cooper, seemingly unbothered by the curious and wary gazes of his classmates.

"Did something happen?" he asked as soon as he got near.

"No, everything's fine," Cooper assured him.

"What you doin' here, Coop?" Tristan indicated the uniform. "You still on watch?"

"Yeah we got another coupla hours. It's cool; Boot's keepin' a check on the radio."

Tristan raised a hand to greet Ben, leaning against the cruiser to keep one ear on any radio calls and the other on the conversation. Sherman waved back and hurriedly slid into the car as Cooper turned to glare at him.

"So what gives?" Tristan asked, shifting his skateboard from one hand to the other. "You got to yell at me for somethin'?"

Cooper couldn't help but grin. "Not today. Come get in the car. I gotta talk to you 'bout something."

"What?"

"Not here, okay?" Cooper turned back to the cruiser, Tristan following curiously behind.

The kid jumped into the backseat, long limbs tanned and lean with new muscle under his board shorts and tank top. Tossed his backpack and board beside him.

"Hey, Ben," he said cheerfully.

"How's it goin', Tris?"

"Good, I guess. Depends what Coop wants to tell me."

Cooper slid into the driver's seat, gunned the engine. "Let's go get ice cream."

If Tristan was confused by Cooper's actions, he trusted him enough to not ask questions. He sat placidly until Cooper pulled in by a quiet playground. Climbed out to accept a triple scoop of chocolate peanut butter from the Mexican vendor.

Cooper handed Sherman his usual Magnum bar and got his own pistachio cone. Left Ben in the car and led Tristan over to a picnic bench.

"Coop, you're driving me crazy." Tristan inhaled half his ice cream in one bite. "Tell me what's goin' on."

John Cooper was not a man who beat around the bush; he was straightforward and uncompromising and he was never afraid to say what he thought. But at the moment, he wanted to talk about anything else but the subject he was about to raise.

"Your mom asked me to come over last night," he finally said.

"Right…" Tristan's eyes were full of questions.

Cooper bounced his fist off the table, frustrated by his own awkwardness. "Tris, your mom's gonna have a baby."

For a long minute, Tristan didn't react. Then confusion clouded his face. "Mom's got pregnant?"

"She just found out yesterday."

"She hasn't been dating anyone," the kid protested. "How can she be pregnant?"

"She wasn't dating the guy. They hooked up for a night at a cop party."

Tristan's youthful face darkened with sudden rage as the realisation hit him. "She just fucked some guy?" he demanded.

"Hey, that's your mom you're talking about," Cooper warned him. "She knew him; it wasn't just some random."

"Like that makes it better!" Tristan exploded to his feet, throwing furious kicks at the table, trying to tip it over. "Fuck this!"

Cooper moved swiftly behind him, wrapping his big arms around the kid, pinning Tristan's arms to his sides. Trapped the lean body against his own solid chest and held him tight. Saw Sherman jump out of the car to come help, waved him off getting involved.

Finally the fight went out of Tristan and he sagged, exhausted by the fruitless effort to escape Cooper's grip. Cooper gritted his teeth against the stabs of pain hitting him, forced himself to ignore them and concentrate on the matter in hand

"It's not like she intended this to happen, Tris," he said quietly. He waited until he was sure Tristan wasn't going to kick off again. Gently released his hold and stepped back.

Tristan dropped onto the bench. "But it has happened."

"Right. So now it has to be faced up to whether you like it or not."

"You mean she's gonna have the baby?"

"That's what she told me."

"She's like thirty-five!"

"That's not old, you know."

"Do you see thirty-five-year-old moms picking their babies up from daycare?" Tristan demanded, suddenly sounding much older than his fifteen years.

"Lots of women have babies at that age, Tris," Cooper said reasonably. "Don't try telling me that's the biggest issue for you in all of this."

Tristan shook his head in disbelief. Thought a moment, then looked sharply at Cooper. "Was she too scared to tell me herself?"

"No. I told her to let me do it. I thought you'd say something you'd regret if she told you."

"You mean I'd have called her a slut?"

"That's enough, Tristan." Cooper's voice hardened. "You don't ever talk about your mother like that."

"I don't give a shit, Coop! It's not like she considered me when she was gettin' herself pregnant. She didn't think about screwing up my life."

"It's a baby, Tris, not the end of the fricking world."

"It's gonna change everything!"

"It's gonna change some things, yeah. But like I said, it's not the end of the world." Cooper grasped Tristan's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Life as you know it is not gonna come to an end."

Tristan was silent for several minutes, looking at his feet, his ice cream completely forgotten.

"Is the dad gonna stick around?" he asked eventually.

"He's married."

"So that's a no then." Tristan's jaw was taut. "Another kid growing up without a father."

"I grew up without a dad too, Tris. I've turned out alright and so have you."

"That doesn't make it right. Didn't Mom think about that? Two kids: two dads gone. Does that not bother her?"

"She understands that the guy won't want to be involved. She didn't plan this, man. It wasn't meant to happen."

"How long have you known?" Tristan demanded.

"Since last night."

"And Mom?"

"She did the test yesterday."

"And she's already decided she's gonna have the baby." Tristan spat out a humourless laugh. "I don't believe this, man."

"Your mom's as shocked as you are. You guys need to talk about it. She won't make a final decision without asking you how you feel about it." Cooper stood up slowly. "We'll take you home."

"I'm not goin' home, Coop! How can I look Mom in the face after what you just told me?"

"Staying away isn't gonna solve anything."

"I can't talk to her yet. I don't know what the hell I'm gonna say." Tristan sounded on the verge of tears and Cooper reached out again, wrapped an arm round the kid's neck and drew him close.

Tristan rested his head against Cooper, his body shaking as he tried to control his quiet sobs. Cooper let him cry until he eventually calmed and sat upright, swiping at his red eyes. The way the kid was looking at him, as if he could make everything alright again, made him feel useless.

"Okay, tell you what." Cooper blew out a long breath. "We'll drive you over to my place; you can hang there 'til we get off watch. Then I'm coming back to get you and I'm taking you home. Alright?"

Tristan thought for a second, then nodded. Looked towards the cruiser. "Does Ben know?"

"Yeah, he knows. He's my partner, Tris, he's cool."

"He won't tell anyone?"

"Come on, you've hung out with Ben before; you know he won't. But it's gotta come out eventually, man. Can't be kept hidden forever."

Confusion creased Tristan's face as he considered this certainty. "Just not yet," he mumbled finally.

"No, not yet," Cooper agreed. "Ben gets that. Don't worry about him, okay?"

Tristan allowed himself to be steered to the cruiser, climbed into the backseat once again.

"We're gonna drop Tris at my place," Cooper told Sherman.

"Cool." Sherman looked back at Tristan. "You want a soda or anything, Tris?"

"No thanks."

All three lapsed into silence for the drive to Mount Washington, not finding anything to say until Cooper pulled up by his front steps. Sherman pointed a confirming finger at the radio, telling Cooper he didn't need instructions. Cooper couldn't help but give him a crooked smile as he climbed out. Released Tristan from the backseat, put a reassuring hand on his neck and walked him inside.

Tristan had been to the house often, was relaxed enough to dump his board and backpack and head straight for the couch. Cooper strode through to the kitchen, plucked a beer out of the fridge. Returned to the living room and handed it to Tristan.

"This is the only one you're getting. I've counted how many are in the fridge and I'll know if you touch the spirits. You get me?"

Tristan nodded his cooperation. He was getting to the age when drinking was starting to become part of his social life but Cooper knew the kid respected him enough not to break his promise.

"We've got two hours left; I'll be home a half hour after, okay?"

"Okay," Tristan echoed.

"You hungry?"

"No."

"Ice cream's in the freezer if you want it. See you in a while."

He left the kid on the couch flicking through the sports channels and returned to the cruiser. Sherman was waiting patiently, keeping an attentive ear on the radio.

"He okay?" he asked.

"Calming down. He never stays mad for long; he'll be alright by the time I get home."

"Big thing for him to deal with," Ben said. "When I found out my dad was gonna have another family, it hit me pretty hard. Felt like he'd abandoned us even more."

Cooper understood Sherman was confiding in him about his difficult past as a way of saying he appreciated Cooper letting him in on Chickie's secret. He nodded quietly.

"Families are never easy," he said. "Mine was better without my old man but I get that others don't work like that."

He gunned the engine, pulled away from the house. Remained quiet for a moment as he considered what he wanted to say.

"You know I told you my dad taught me to shoot?" He sent Sherman a crooked smile. "He taught me 'cos he wanted me to go along on robberies with him. I was like thirteen, fourteen. I was a big kid, played football and basketball every day, and when he tried to make me go with him, I hit him. Knocked him down for the first time ever. He beat the shit outta me for it."

Sherman didn't say anything but his eyes didn't move from Cooper; he was listening hard.

"What I'm sayin' is sometimes having a dad around doesn't make life better. Your old man was a drunk and a cheat. Mine was an abusive criminal. Tristan's was a waste of oxygen. Chickie's baby not having a dad isn't the worst thing that could happen to it."

"You gonna be around for the new baby like you were for Tris?" Ben asked carefully.

"You think I wouldn't be just 'cos Chickie screwed up?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant this is different than it was with Tristan."

"Tris was too young to understand when his dad left. I never tried to replace Jake but I wanted him to grow up knowing he could come to me with stuff he'd usually go to his dad about." Cooper shrugged. "Every kid needs that. I'll do the same for this one, boy or girl."

"That's cool," Ben said after a moment.

Cooper looked across at the young cop, assessing his reactions, but in his usual loyal way, Sherman seemed to have accepted the current situation for what it was. And Cooper had little doubt that the rookie would do whatever was asked of him if he felt he could help make it better.

X X X

Tristan had not moved from his spot in front of the TV when Cooper returned home. Tossing his keys into the bowl, Cooper did a quick check of the fridge and the sideboard. No more alcohol had been touched; the ice cream remained uneaten.

"I wouldn't have killed you for taking the ice cream," he said, returning to the living room with a soda because he felt drinking after he'd banned the kid from doing so was hypocritical.

"You know you'd have regretted it later." Tristan made room for the big man on the couch.

"You had time to think things through?"

"Kinda."

"And?" Cooper asked patiently.

Tristan shrugged. "I don't know."

"Helpful." Cooper regarded him calmly. "Let's try an easy question to get you used to talking like a normal human being. Are you still angry?"

The kid gave a heavy sigh. "Not really. I mean, I'm not happy about it, but I guess I can understand Mom didn't mean for it to happen."

"That's a good start."

"I still think she was pretty frickin' stupid, though."

"Maybe this'll teach you a lesson about one-night stands," Cooper said prophetically.

Tristan was quiet for a minute. "Can I stay here for a while?"

"No, you can't. Hiding out here ain't gonna solve anything."

"It would if I lived here."

"Tris, for fuck's sake. That all you've been thinking about for the last few hours?"

"Why can't I live here, Coop?"

"'Cos you can't. You got a home and you got a mother. You don't need to live here." Cooper sighed and forced the kid to make eye contact with him. "Tris, I knew you weren't gonna take this well but this is getting way outta hand. It's gotta end now. So we're gonna get in my car, go to your place and you're gonna talk to your mom. You understand what I'm saying?"

Sulky silence. Tristan was not a moody teenager by most standards but he was trying his best to portray one at that moment. Cooper, used to dealing with teen gangbangers on a daily basis, was unmoved. Stood up and grabbed his keys again.

"Move your ass, hotshot," he ordered.

Tristan wouldn't go as far as to disobey the man who had been a role model to him for years but he took his time getting his stuff and heading to the door. Deliberately moved as slow as possible until Cooper lost patience and hustled him to the Challenger. Tristan threw himself into the passenger seat, adopted the traditional arms-folded, chin-out position of defiance.

"Knock that off," Cooper warned him, gunning the engine. "You know that shit don't fly with me."

"It's not you I'm aiming it at."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not lettin' you throw it at your mom either."

"Why you ridin' my ass, Coop?"

"I'm not. I'm trying to make you understand that in a few months you're gonna have a little brother or sister, no matter what stupid attitude you cop about it. That's the fact, Tris, and I don't mean to be harsh, but you gotta start dealing with that."

"You know you only told me a few hours ago, right?"

"And in that time you've done nothing but try and think around the issue."

"Because I don't like thinking about it!" Tristan practically yelled. "Mom's fucking up her life and my life and I don't understand why!"

"Because she knows what's happened isn't the baby's fault," Cooper snapped, losing patience. "Jesus, Tristan, when this kid is born, are you gonna act like this with it? Are you gonna blame it? Hate it for fucking up how your life used to be?"

Tristan opened his mouth to yell back but realised he didn't know what to say. He worked his jaw for a minute, trying to find the right words. Cooper saw his anger rapidly deflate, the tension of outrage leave his body.

"Course I'm not gonna hate the baby," he said quietly. "I'm gonna act right with it."

Cooper gave him a smile. "Most sensible thing you've said all night."

"I just need some time to get used to the idea, Coop."

"You'll have time. And time to talk it over with your mom too." Cooper stepped harder on the accelerator. Made the Challenger roar. Saw Tristan unable to control his smile of delight at the noise of the powerful car. "Let's take the back roads to the Valley."

They didn't speak about the pregnancy for the remainder of the drive and Tristan relaxed as they discussed potential rivals to the Challenger. He was grinning as they pulled into Chickie's driveway, but the smile quickly vanished as he looked up at his home.

"Don't even think about it." Cooper gave him a gentle punch to the shoulder, climbed out and opened the kid's door for him. Walked him up to the front door, unlocked it with his own key.

Chickie stood waiting for them inside, alerted by the growl of the Challenger. She instinctively looked first to Cooper, as if hoping he would give her information that her twenty texts to him that day hadn't gleaned. Cooper just nodded at her, and Chickie's eyes slid to Tristan.

Mother and son stood perfectly still, staring at each other for a long moment. Then Chickie held out her arms and Tristan threw himself into her embrace. Neither of them spoke; words seemed to have become unnecessary. Tears rolled down two identical faces as the little family unit hugged each other tight and held on.

Cooper watched them for a moment. Finally assured they would be all right, he turned and quietly left, unnoticed.

X X X

**ONE YEAR LATER**

When Chickie went into labour, it was Cooper alone who sat with Tristan in the waiting room until his mom gave birth to a healthy baby boy. But when the time came for the baby to be baptised, Chickie announced her determination that he would have two godfathers.

On a sunny spring day, a small group gathered at a pretty church in the San Fernando Valley for baby Callan's baptism. Cooper was eight months post-surgery; about to return to the job he loved. Chickie regarded him fondly, seeing the results of daily workouts in the outline of hard muscle under his navy suit jacket. The confident way he held himself told her he knew how good he looked. The last few months had taken years off him. The harsh lines around his eyes had faded; he looked relaxed and happy in himself.

Chickie found her gaze drawn from her friend to Ben Sherman. The rookie was in dress uniform, hat tucked under one arm. In sharp contrast to Cooper, he looked tense and suddenly older than his young years. Chickie had heard Ben was walking a thin line these days. He'd always been zealous, determined to make a difference, but rumours were circulating that his aggressiveness was getting out of control.

The two seemed to be deliberately standing apart from each other. Chickie had visited Cooper often after his admittance to hospital and he had told her what had happened between them, how it had shattered their partnership beyond repair. It had troubled her, still did, that Sherman thought badly of Cooper.

Ben had brought Sammy Bryant with him. Chickie knew Sammy of old and liked him, didn't mind him coming along, but she understood it was a statement. Ben had moved on; he had a new partner and friend and he was trying to show that he didn't need Cooper anymore.

With a feeling of sadness at the gulf that had developed between the two former partners, Chickie turned away to the rest of her guests. Tristan stayed by Cooper's side, holding the baby brother he had instantly adored. Chickie sent her eldest son a proud smile, happy that not only he had taken responsibility for Callan, but that he was making a point of standing by Cooper.

The ceremony was short and sweet; no one present was particularly religious and it was more the traditional significance of the day that proved important. No one asked why the father wasn't present and Chickie didn't doubt that Cooper and Ben had spread the hard word around most of West Bureau.

Outside once again, accepting congratulations and enjoying the warm air, Chickie looked around for who had her youngest son. Spotted where he was and smiled, happy to leave him there.

Lying placidly in John Cooper's big arms, blue eyes staring up at Ben Sherman standing beside them, Callan Brown seemed completely assured that whatever lay in his future, he would be nothing if not protected.

With two such godfathers, there was no other possibility.


End file.
